Song of the Day: Dream Brother

Sponsor

Sponsor

Ian Anderson started his Dream Brother project back in January. At that point, many thought it was just a one-off release, one which featured the talents of Paul Sprangers (Free Energy) and John Vanderslice. It was a great and fleeting 7″, and with that Dream Brother retreated into a six month silence.

Then Anderson unleashed Islands & More Islands — almost on a whim it would seem. The message of its arrival came as a surprise to a lot of people, and upon investigation, it has been confirmed that he’ll be putting out more under this moniker every few months with different guests.

That’s good news — and also a shame. Because after hearing this new two-song opus, Dream Brother should really put out a full-length. “Islands” in particular is classic indie rock, something Anderson helped do so well in One For The Team. However, the maturity ante in this new endeavor has definitely been “upped.” His arrangements are at their most confident, and the addition of Grant Cutler on vocals lends itself to be a remarkable piece of work that sounds more like the next great hit than a basement project not necessarily concerned with listeners.

And let’s talk about Grant Cutler for a moment. This guy, who has produced and worked with what seems like most of the local music community at this point, is the main anchor on “Islands.” His voice sounds fresh as ever, a welcome return from his days in Lookbook. The timbre is made for a road-trip, blasting those “oh-ohs” out the windows — it’s something I would be doing at least. Picturesque or cheesy, take your pick. Either way, this new 7″ deserves the rightful attention it heralds.

As a sidenote, the B-side shouldn’t be knocked either. “More Islands” is the fitting continuation of its predecessor, an affair that blasts through the speakers at a much greater volume. The Islands & More Islands 7″ is available for free right now at Dream Brother’s website.